Sport And Exercise Psychologist

Activities more closely associated with sport psychology include:

• equipping athletes with mental strategies to cope with and overcome setbacks or injuries;
• advising coaches how to improve squad cohesion or communication;
• working with a broad range of clients including individual athletes, teams, coaches and referees, from amateur to elite professional level across a wide range of sporting disciplines;
• developing tailored interventions to assist athletes in preparation for competition and to deal with the psychological demands of the sport;
• delivering a variety of group workshops, which may include self-analysis of performance or techniques to develop mental skills within the sport.

Activities vary between the branches of sport and exercise psychology. Generic activities are likely to include:

• working with a multidisciplinary team including other psychologists, nutritionists, GPs, coaches and physiologists;
• assessing clients' needs and abilities, and monitoring sporting performance and behaviour;
• implementing strategies to help the client overcome difficulties, improve performance or realise potential;
• delivering counselling and/or workshops covering issues such as goal setting, visualisation and relaxation;
• conducting and applying research in sport or exercise psychology.

Activities more closely associated with exercise psychology include:

• providing counselling and consultations to a cross-section of the public including people who are depressed, GP referrals, people in prison or groups of employees as part of a workplace exercise programme.
• counselling clients who are ill, in poor physical or mental health and who may benefit from participation in more regular exercise;
• advising individuals about the benefits, both physical and psychological, that can be derived from exercise;
• working with individuals and groups in a wide variety of settings including GP surgeries, employers' premises, the client's home, clinical settings and local fitness centres;
• devising, implementing and evaluating exercise programmes based on the needs of the client;